Facebook will soon show "things in common" with strangers

Facebook has a new feature in the making.

|

If Facebook's latest test feature makes it to the platform, you'll be able to find out the common things between you and common commenters on public posts. The social media giant is testing a feature called "things in common," which shows tidbits of information you have in common with people that aren't in your friend list.

 
Facebook will soon show

A Facebook spokesperson has confirmed the new test feature to Engadget, and also said that it will show tags like "Went to the University of so-and-so" if the user has been to the same university. If a person lives close by, the tag will say "From San Francisco, California" or wherever it is you're from.

 

It's hard to say whether the new feature will be good or bad. Considering the fact that no one would want a violent person to know your whereabouts after being engaged in civil discourse in comments.

Facebook also confirmed that the tags shown will be public info that can be seen on their profiles regardless of you being their friend or not. The feature is part of Facebook's efforts to make public discussions more meaningful.

"Knowing shared things in common helps people connect. We're testing adding a 'things in common' label that will appear above comments from people who you're not friends with but you might have something in common with. The only information that people made publicly available on their profiles will be eligible to show up," the spokesperson told Engadget.

Like other test features, this feature is also available to a small fraction of users, and only in the US. Also, not all experimental feature actually make it to the platform. How this feature actually pans out remains to be seen.

Besides, Facebook-owned Instagram is also testing a new feature that was actually a part of Facebook when it was launched. The feature is basically grouping students by the school. According to CNBC, the platform is currently testing this new College Community Feature. It will also help students find other students on class-based lists.

This could be a handy feature helping students interact and find friends on Instagram as they move to colleges. College-aged students are the biggest demographic for the platform, so the new feature makes a lot of sense for its business.

Instagram will begin by prompting users to join a college community and "connect with other students." Once the user has opted into the community, their university and their graduating year will be added to their profile. It also grants access to class-based lists of other students who have also opted in.

Best Mobiles in India

Read More About: facebook news apps social media

Best Phones

Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Yes No
Settings X
X